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Chapter 17
Previous Chapter Dan’s mind was spinning. His persistent lack of sleep and pursuant fatigue didn’t help him understand the situation too well either. He had just confronted who he thought was the stalker, only to meet the CEO of some mysterious company. Why is the hooded figure taking its own time to personally follow him so discreetly? How much did it know about him? His powers? The people he’s killed? Then again, strange circumstances were not new to Dan Illiad. After all, he did possess the ability to materialize objects out of thin air. His desire to utilize his abilities had placed him in many abnormal situations in the past. And yet, this was possibly the strangest encounter he had yet. He was certain that Monochrome and the hooded, stalking figure were two separate entities. Were they connected? Why did this “Monochrome” not even flinch when faced with a gun? Why did he suggest that Dan head over to that bar? Just who was he really? Dan shook his head. He decided to pay a visit to the bar at a later time; Monochrome didn’t seem insistent on him immediately making his way there. He needed his mind to be at its clearest to deal with his current circumstance, and to do that he needed rest. As it wasn’t a good idea to return to his apartment after the hostage situation that had transpired earlier, he would need to seek shelter somewhere to let his mind recover from the stress of having been awake for so many eventful hours. Dan checked his wallet again. Not enough to rent a room. Grove City was strict on upholding appearances, and the police actively swept the streets to remove homeless people from sleeping outside. Thus, sleeping on the streets was not an option, as Dan could not afford an encounter with the police after what had happened earlier. Checking his surroundings, he found that he was close to the woods next to the city. It would take less than an hour for him to make his way into the heart of the woods, where nothing except for small animals would be able to disturb his much needed slumber. ... ... It was a peaceful night, and Dan calmly took in the fresh, natural scent of his surroundings. He gazed upwards at the full moon as he walked, and let his mind wander in anticipation of sleep. These woods were a popular getaway for citizens of the city to escape from the bustle of everyday life and retreat into nature. Recently, there had been a number of reported disappearances in the area. As such, many people found it unsafe to be out there at night. It was perfect for Dan. He began making plans to travel back to the city the next day and hunt around for spare supplies so that he could camp out for however long it took for him to disappear from police suspicion. The ideal spot to set up camp would be next to the large pond, and with a cheap filter he would be able to have all of his necessities at hand. He immediately started making his way over to where he remembered the pond to be. A large thudding sound ripped through the night. It sounded like a tree had fallen. It was coming from the direction Dan was walking towards. He ignored it and continued his pace. He hoped that a tree wouldn’t fall on him while he was getting his much deserved rest. High-pitched sharp noises filled the air. Dan groaned inwardly. The signs were pointing to another strange encounter ahead. He did not wish for another stressful event on his palate. Perhaps he was going to find out what was causing the disappearances in the area. He had been curious about it for a while; the news was constantly broadcasting stories about the constant groundbreaking developments by the students at Lance Academy, and stories about people vanishing seemed to be pushed to the side. That was one aspect Dan hated about Terrace Grove. It cared way too much about its image, to the point that it would suppress what could be a string of dangerous kidnappings in favor of showing off the glory of its flagship institution. Despite all of his accumulated fatigue, Dan nevertheless felt a grin creep onto his face as the strange sounds grew louder and louder with each step he took. It seemed that a struggle was taking place near the pond. He was going to see firsthand what was causing the vanishings. ... ... The silhouette of a tall man wearing a black, hooded cloak; the terrified face of what appeared to be a well-built teenage boy. Both figures were illuminated by the moonlight. The former had the latter by the throat. Barring some strange, bizarre twist of events, Dan reasoned that the hooded man was the bad guy in this case. From his hiding spot on the lower branch of a large tree, Dan was able to see clearly while still blending into the foliage that was shrouded by the night. A pair of binoculars materialized in his hands. It couldn’t be. He needed to get a closer look to confirm. It was. Looking through the lenses of the binoculars, he saw the hooded man holding what appeared to be a dagger at the boy’s throat. The man’s arm seemed to be covered in ice. And speaking of ice, there was a large ice structure right next to the pond. It quite a strange sight to be spying on. In any case, Dan could tell that the boy didn’t have much time. He suspected that the hooded man might be a serial killer, and from the way he was holding the dagger, that boy was his next victim. The hooded cloak looked familiar - could that figure be the one who had been stalking him? He closed his eyes and visualized the most accurate rifle he had stored in his memory. The sound of metal clacking rang through the air as the weapon’s components materialized and assembled. The sound of the weapon's creation was loud in the silent night. There was no way that the struggling pair below didn’t hear it. This gave Dan an extremely small window of time to act before the hooded man could detect his location. But this was a calculated risk, as the boy didn’t have much time anyways. He had to take the shot quickly. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, filling his tired body and mind with energy. His fingers were shaking with trepidation from the excitement. A grin spread across his face as he calmed his trembling limbs while lining up the perfect shot. The man had stopped to look his way, alerted by the noise of his weapon’s materialization. Dan quickly scanned his features. He appeared to be fair skinned, with locks of light brown hair visible from under his hood. His eyes were strangely blood red. Dan aimed at his target’s jugular vein; the shock of having such a vital artery severed would prevent him from finishing off the boy, and it would still give Dan enough time to interrogate him before he died of blood loss. A sudden crimson flash obscured Dan’s field of vision. What the-?! He felt his gut wrench as he realized that the hooded man had made eye contact. He knows where I am. He had to take the shot now. While the man had detected his presence, he hadn’t moved from his spot. Dan squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot ripped through the night. This was going to be a direct hit. The man didn’t flinch. The next bullet loaded into the chamber as the materialized rifle prepared for another shot. Dan was positive that the previous shot was a direct hit. Not wasting any time pondering what had just happened, he lined up another shot, and fired. Another loud gunshot pierced the night. The man didn’t even blink. His red pupils continued to bore into Dan’s eyes. Dan quickly dropped from the tree he was hiding in and rolled behind a bush. Heart pounding, he dematerialized the rifle and re-imagined a magnum revolver into his hand. It was possible that this confrontation would go to close quarters. How could it be that two perfectly aimed shots had no effect on this guy? The man was already alert to his presence. At least he bought the boy some time, but it was likely that the man would still finish him off before dealing with Dan's intrusion. If ranged sniping didn't work, he would have to shoot him point blank. Dan's years of martial arts training kicked in as he nimbly tumbled into the overhead clearing. The full moon illuminated the man and the boy he was holding by the throat. With his revolver in front of him aimed at the man, Dan spoke clearly, "Let him go and put your hands where I can see them." The man dropped his grip on the boy's throat and instantly vanished. "What-" Dan began, only to be interrupted by the boy's scream. "BEHIND YOU! LOOK BEHIND YOU!" Dan spun around just in time to see the man lunging at him. He leaped backwards, holding the gun in both hands for stability, and fired off three rapid shots directly at the assailant. No effect. Dan fell backwards to the ground. The cloaked man lunged for his neck. The sound of a roaring ocean. A sharp crackling noise. A large, crystal structure appeared in front of Dan, shielding him from the hooded man. It was a giant wall of ice; it appeared that the boy also had powers. "Thanks! Now get out of here! Run!" Dan yelled, regaining his ground and composure. His mind was racing. He had definitely shot the man. The gun had been pointed directly at him. The recoil proved that the weapon went off. But how is it that there was no evidence that the bullets had even touched the hooded figure? He allowed the magnum revolver to fade from existence as he materialized the strongest shotgun he knew. As the steel parts quickly assembled themselves together, Dan looked around him for where the cloaked assailant was. "Behind you again!" the boy's voice was also coming from behind him. Dan spun around to see the hooded man only yards away, walking calmly towards him. "Shit!" Dan pointed the muzzle of his shotgun at the man. The man did not seem fazed at all by the threat. Dan still could not figure out exactly why the man could not be harmed by his guns, but he did have a theory. Since the man showed that he seemed capable of teleportation, it was possible that the bullets were actually phasing through him, or that he was flickering his body's presence to allow them to pass through. If that was the case, then it would be too risky for Dan to take the shot at this angle as it might hit the boy if the man actually was dodging the bullets in such a manner. Dan strafed to the side, keeping his gun pointed at the calmly approaching man. He took the time to register his appearance. He was wearing the same strange cloak as the figure who had been stalking him earlier. But that person was constantly breaking line of sight. The man in front of him seemed to have no qualms about facing Dan. Based on the aura that the man in front of him was giving off, it was likely that they were not the same person. He continued to strafe, keeping his distance from the menace that was approaching him. Finally, he had the perfect shot. The boy was no longer in danger of being hit, and this angle gave him an opportunity to test his theory. Dan aimed straight at the man's chest with the shotgun and squeezed the trigger. Dan lurched backwards from the force of the shotgun's recoil. The man continued to walk towards him. Dan picked up the pace of his strafe, keeping his eyes on the man while also examining the tree that was behind him. If the man really was phasing or allowing the bullet to pass through him, then there should be considerable damage to the tree's trunk. There was none. The trunk looked completely normal. Then the shot hit him and... vanished? Dan's mind spun. The man was bulletproof. The shotgun disappeared as he materialized a Japanese katana. A smooth but sharp noise rang through the night as the sword's blade and handle took form. If he couldn't shoot him, then he would have to slash him. The man paused in his step. Was he surprised by the blade's sudden appearance? He suddenly disappeared from view again. Dan didn't need the boy's warning this time. He immediately swung his blade behind him. His motion was stopped by a firm grasp; the man had caught his arm mid-swing. A pistol instantly formed in Dan's left hand. He aimed the barrel directly at the man's hooded face and fired point-blank. The man didn't budge. Once again, the shot had no effect. Dan couldn't believe it, but the man had some sort of immunity. With one hard still grabbing Dan's katana-wielding arm, the man used his other to instantly disarm Dan's pistol and take it from him. Rather than point it back at Dan, the man seemed to be examining it. Dan quickly willed it to dematerialize. As the pistol faded from existence, Dan was able to catch a glimpse of an expression change on the man's hooded face. He materialized a dagger in his left hand and stabbed towards the man's face. This time, the man knocked his stabbing arm to the side and delivered a swift stomping kick to Dan's chest, sending him flying backwards. While in mid-air, Dan saw that the assailant had been able to take both weapons from him and was examining their blades. Getting up off the ground, Dan looked up in time to see a spiraling torrent of water come crashing down on where the cloaked man had been standing. He glanced behind him and saw that the man had teleported again to avoid the attack. The cloaked figure was still examining the blades. Dan dematerialized them as he turned to face his opponent. A raspy voice filled the air. "Is this Summoning Magic?" Dan didn't fully comprehend the statement. He knew that his power to materialize objects could be considered magic. But what did he mean by "Summoning"? "Sorry, don't know what you're talking about," Dan replied. A revolver materialized again in his hand. He aimed at the hooded man's torso and fired. Once again, no effect. The cloaked figure didn't need to teleport again. In a flash, a large hand was wrapped around Dan's neck. Dan felt himself being lifted upwards. "Answer me." "I... did-" Dan choked. He materialized a dagger and stabbed at the man's torso. The man spun on the spot to dodge the blade thrust and delivered a hook kick that sent Dan sprawling once again. This time, Dan's reflexes kicked in and he was able to tumble to soften his landing. Mid-tumble, he materialized a sleek fiberglass bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. By the time he rolled back up, he already had the bow drawn. He instantly aimed at the man and released the arrow. The man vanished from sight. Dan spun around, still trying to catch his breath. The assailant that he expected behind him wasn't there. That meant- "LOOK OUT! HE'S AFTER YOU NOW!" Dan yelled at the top of his lungs. The boy should have fled while they were fighting. Dan had placed himself in this predicament with the intention of giving him time to escape. During their fight, he had purposely led the man away from where the boy had been standing. And yet the boy foolishly chose to stick around. Dan turned again and ran back towards the pond. It was the original scene. As drifting clouds moved to block the moon, Dan was able to see the last of the moon's light illuminate the hooded man holding the boy up by the throat. "Let him go!" Dan shouted as another arrow appeared in his hand. He drew his bow back. It suddenly vanished. Dan cursed as he realized that the bow had expired. He was running out of energy. "Freeze him in place." The raspy voice sent chills down Dan's spine. The hooded man dropped the boy, who fell to the ground and immediately stood back up. The boy began walking slowly towards Dan. "What are you doing?! Run!" Dan yelled at the approaching boy. He was walking with a strange stride. The boy's head was tilting side-to-side with each slow step he took towards Dan. The blonde-haired boy slowly pointed a finger at Dan. There was something strange about his face- A sudden blast of cold hit Dan from below. He realized that he had been standing in a puddle of water. And yet, instead of a puddle, there was a large block of ice that encased his both of his feet up to his knees. He couldn't move. "I'm on your side! What are you doing?!" Dan cried out in bewilderment. The boy seemed deaf to Dan's words. That's when he saw it. Liquid was flowing down his face from corners of his eyes. The clouds that had briefly obscured the moon began to part. The moonlight was shining down, once again illuminating the scene. The boy appeared to be crying. Only- Dan recoiled in horror. Blood. The liquid that was leaking from the boy's eyes was blood. A raspy voice- "Excellent. Your time is up. Face me now." The boy seemed to react to the man's words. He turned on the spot to face him. The man took out the strange looking dagger once more, and plunged it into the boy's chest. The boy convulsed before suddenly becoming rigid. His golden hair's color faded into white. His skin seemed to shrivel up. The boy's body slowly shrank until his head became engulfed by his clothes and his limbs retracted into his sleeves. Eventually, all there was under the moonlight was a hooded man holding a dagger and a pile of clothes on the ground. The blade glowed with a sky blue color. The man gestured towards the empty clothing left on the ground. A flame erupted and burned the clothes to ashes before subsiding. Dan was in shock. He had seen death before, had killed before, but never had he seen someone die that horrifically before. He was next. The cloaked man shifted something in his black regalia before walking calmly to where Dan was frozen and rooted in place. Dan materialized the katana into his hand as a last effort to defend himself. He knew that he was no match for the hooded figure. He never expected that he would be bulletproof. But Dan also knew that the cloaked figure was not completely immune. If he were, he wouldn't have spent effort to dodge his blade attacks. Thus, the katana was the last weapon that he could rely on. He directed the tip of the blade at the approaching assailant. The man's red eyes glowed from underneath his hood as he advanced towards Dan. In an instant, his calm stride became a lunge. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Dan swung the blade diagonally in response. The man dodged to the side, and in that same second reached out and disarmed the blade from Dan's grasp. Rather than spend precious time dematerializing the stolen weapon, Dan decided to quickly form another katana. The man vanished from sight. Rooted in place, Dan could not physically turn around to face the man that he knew had teleported behind him. Heart pounding, he took his new katana and stabbed it backwards. No impact. He missed. In the next instant, the blade was out of his hand once again. His opponent's skill in disarming was ridiculous. The man reappeared in front of him, wielding both of the stolen katanas. "They're the same." Of course they would be. Both katanas were created based off of the same unique blade that Dan had carefully examined in the past. But to an observer who knew the name of the blade, the phenomenon of seeing two of them would be surprising. Dan dematerialized both of the weapons. The blades disappeared from the man's hands. The hooded figure had many ways to finish him off right now, but at least Dan removed the possibility of being slain by his own creations. This was it. His heart was almost jumping out of his chest. These thunderous heartbeats might be his last. He was stuck, frozen to the ground, against an opponent who was not only bulletproof but also capable of dodging any of his other attacks with ease. "Your ability. Could it be?" The man's raspy voice, with all of its spine-chilling menace, had a tone of wonder. Dan didn't know how to respond. He materialized a ballistic knife and immediately fired its blade. The hooded man teleported to dodge the high-speed projectile. "Two of the same unique weapon rules out Summoning Magic. The materials used to construct your creations cannot be found in this area. Thus-" The man reappeared in front of him. His hood was down. Dan tried to scan his exposed face. But for some reason he could not break away from the gaze of the man's crimson red eyes. "Your ability must be-" The man stepped closer. Dan felt his body lurching as it instinctively tried to escape from the ice that was rooting it in place. He was going to die here. "Genesis ex nihilo." Dan didn't understand what was just said. But those words seemed to be significant to the assailant. Suddenly, Dan was able to move his eyes again. The man's eye color had changed to a deep emerald green. Dan saw that the man had fair skin and ash colored hair. A menacing grin spread across the assailant's face. "Yes. I can see it. Your power has not yet ripened. The others must not discover what it truly is." A crimson flash blinded Dan for an instant. The man's eye color changed back to red. A white mist filled Dan's field of vision. "The hunt is on." ... ... Dan awoke the next morning in a cold sweat. He sat up on his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He paused. His heartbeat quickened. He was in his room. He remembered clearly that he wanted to avoid going back home. Then why was he here? Suddenly, the pain hit him. He was heavily bruised all over his torso. He tried to recall the events of last night. He remembered the hostage situation. The strange encounter with Monochrome. Walking into the woods. But after that- Dan, for the life of him, could not remember what had happened next. Next Chapter